the reaper of xcom
by feedthemeat543
Summary: To some reaper is a monster, a faceless, killing machine. To others he is a sentinel, a guardian angel, a symbol of hope. But few truly know the man underneath the mask. That changes when an alien p.o.w turned xcom agent turns his life around in ways he never would have predicted as well as claiming his heart...
1. introduction

**(author's note)**

 **I don't want to sound like a needy basdard but the lack of reviews is kinda disheartening. If you guys could just take a few seconds to post a review it would really help this story move forward. I'll go on regardless but reviews give me an idea of what I need to fix and really help me out. Oh and I'll say it again thank you all of the lovely people that followed me you guys are fucking awesome.**

"I used to think of myself as nothing more than a monster a killing machine good for nothing but death and chaos. And for a long time i was right. Until the day i met her. My name is Isaac crane and this is how an alien gave me something to live for again."

"menace-1-5 do you have line of sight to the target?

"Yes came the voice of the sole occupant of the skyranger.

"Good commander's orders are to secure the package at the blacksite and eleminate all hostile targets".

"Sounds easy enough" the distorted deep voice replied

"anything i should know?"

"The commander wants a live one this time. Doctors orders."

"Anything specific?"

"No anything other than a trooper should be fine"

The figure let out a huff of agreement as the ramp of the craft opened up

"showtime"

Ignoring the ropes that fell to the ground he droped down his heavy armor and leg strengh absorbing the impact.

Just looking at the blacksite brought up memories most of them not very pleasant.

(flashback)

He was born into a wealthy family and was rich beyond what most men could ever dream of but ment little as there were things money could never buy. That and years of living in isolation with his grandfather along with his interactions with the "cultured" portion of america left little more than a bad taste in his mouth and for that reason he set up in a simple apartment that most wealthy folk would never even consider and it was for that very reason he lived there for it kept him out of the spotlight something he never wanted.

Until the insergent raid in the city square that cost him two of his fingers and gave him a punctued lung that ended up with him being rushed to the nearby gene clinic for "treatment". Even then when he still belived ADVENT's lies everything about the clinic was just wrong- the flawless white walls the lack of any distinct smells the nearly dead silent hallways. But that was nothing compared to the hell he would wake in. At first there was nothing to suggest what was to come for he thought that ADVENT would care for him like any wounded visitor. He had no idea just how wrong he was for the treatment did come-but not long after came the pain more pain than he had ever felt before and the darkness would follow.

The cycle would repeat and in the few moments he was awake and was not in pain or forced into one of their tests he questioned why no one had found him or why they were doing this to him. Cold harsh reality hit him when after a paticuarly harsh "session" they forced him to kneel in front of a strange suit of armor isaac realized what they wanted for the suit looked like death itself had crept into the mortal plane with its long flowing coat that was like a shroud of darkness over the main body with the shoulder pads and gauntlets laid over the sleeves the tail hangings in the back hung just above the ankles. He knew then they wanted him for a weapon of sorts and that they had made a fool out out of him.

Dispite that soul crushing truth however isaac refused to give them the satisfaction of watching him break. Their experiments turned the pain into fuel his twisted and transformed body able to endure the physical suffering they imposed upon him. They created a monster and soon they would reap what they had sow...

(Jacob's point of veiw)

Jacob was nervous for there had been more ADVENT troopers than intel had suggested and they were only halfway to their objective. The team he lead(agents killjoy, shark,and monkey) had taken a few hits on the way in and he had worked with all of them long enough that to lose one of the numskulls would be like losing a brother or in monkey's case a sister. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard strained breathing coming from a room to his left.

Motioning for his team to follow they stormed the chamber sweeping for hostiles. The room was empty other than a pod with someone that was still...alive? That was baffiling in itself for all of the captives he had ever encountered were already dead and processed.

"Oh shit... Killjoy said quietly a look of horror on his face

"What is it lad?" Shark asked concerned as he walked over to killjoys side.

"It's a sentinel" he said in a low voice raising his shotgun as he backed away from the pod

That one phrase sent an icy chill through everyone in the squad as all of them knew how horrifying fighting a sentinel could be.

"Alright we fire on my count." Jacob said as he readied his cannon into a firing position

"Wait"

"Sir you know how dangerous these things can be."

"The brainwashing process has not been completed with this one. He could be a valuable ally."

Jacob was torn... Sentinels were easily the the most dangerous of all of ADVENT's forces and he damn sure didn't favor his teams odds in a fight with one but... If the commander was right this would be the first time xcom would have encountered a sentinel not under enemy control...

"You heard him, get it open" Jacob sighed

Monkey sent her gremlin out and not long after the pod opened and the sentinel slid out with a machine holding his wrists in place.

He was around seven feet tall with ghostly pale skin that was almost pure white and sickly looking along with muscles that looked like he had spent all of his life working out. He had black veins throbbing along his arms and legs that seemed as they were about to pop under his skin. His arms and chest had several deep gashes and burn marks that had long healed over.

His eyes were amber with slits like a snake. He noticed small patches of what looked like scales on his arms and shoulders. Cybernetics could be faintly seen under his skin. It was clear he had been here for longer than any living creature ever deserved. Another machine slid out from behind the pod and started to fit the armor that while it looked different for every sentinel it still was one of the reasons sentinels were so feared

The machine spent several minutes fitting it the sleek frame fitting his body perfectly and it came with a coat. The coat had an open collared torso and it hung tightly to the fame giving it a sleek and form fitting appearance that was like a trench coat but it had no material hanging in the front and the excess material in the back hung longer than most coats he had seen. His gauntlets and greaves were steel grey and so was the torso armor and in between the plates the material looked like the nano fibers xcom used. On his right glove all five of his fingers had blades that went over his fingernails. Each claw was around 3-4 inches in length and the back of each one extended past his finger joints and extended past his knuckles and the one on his thumb was smaller and had a hook shape to it and all five were single edged. But the most distinctive part of the suit was the mask that covered his face even inside the pod the lens sliding down to cover his eyes.

It was a human skull with an evil grin plastered on with a somewhat bio-mechanical appearance. The lens were blacked out and while his eyes were freakish they were preferable to the soulless black glass. The black hood that he wore over his mask and the coat combined with the rest of the suit gave him a dark grisly and foreboding appearance.

When the machine was finished it clamped restraints on his wrists binding them together tightly

Considering that he was restrained Jacob plucked up his courage and placed his hand on the sentinels arm and said

"Sir?"

(Isaac's pow)

As he he looked down at the african american man who was clearly the leader of the of this team. They all had a rugged appearance and all of them were using ballistic weapons. Even with outdated equipment they all looked like warriors so at least he had some respect for them. Though he could not feel him directly he could tell the african man's hand was on his his arm and with a snarl isaac wrenched his arm free.

'hey take it easy!" The african man said a little startled. Ignoring him isaac noticed the xcom symbol on his torso and his mind flashed with white hot anger. He had lost his thumb and ring finger to a stray insurgents bullet although due to his new body both had regrown.

Isaac stalked forward fully intending to tear the xcom agents limb from bloody limb in a bout of rage

"Are you sure you want to take this path? I can think of far more pleasant alternatives." a soft voice spoke in his head

"who are you?!" He thought annoyed at the interruption of the impending slaughter.

"I am asaru the commander of xcom."

That nearly sent issac over the edge as it was taking every ounce of self control he had not to murder the african man that was the closest to him.

"Give me one good reason not to rip your men to pieces" he thought angrily as he tried to break free from his restraints

"Because we can lead you to the one who did this to you. Is that not preferable to needless bloodshed?"

That abated isaac's rage for a moment as he thought it over. He could not go back home for his people had exiled him and his apartment was out of the question. But now he was nothing more than a monster to be used and discarded... As he looked down at his hands there was no being in creation not even the elders that rivaled the hatred he felt for the creature he saw now...

"I accept." he thought for now that he had calmed he knew they were not really responsible and he would have killed them for nothing and that all of them were worth more than he ever would be.

The african man who had stayed silent during the exchange walked foward slowly exending his hand " sgt- jacob rodgers" he said a hint of fear in his voice. "

Mind telling me your name?" jacob asked "

Isaac hesitated as he felt after his transformation he wasn't worthy of his true name anymore...

But there was a title in his family that had been passed down for decades a title his grandfather used to hold...

"Reaper" he said speaking for the first time since his capture

Jacob nodded satisfied with his answer

"Can we get the hell out of here now?" A younger man piped up

As the squad prepared to leave reaper took a moment to look search the room for something he had lost and hoped dearly was still there. With some difficulty due to his restraints he ripped off a promising and to his great joy both of his M1911A1 handguns were still there. Both pistols were a reflection of the blood sweat and tears he had shed to earn them and the years of Wear and use showed how they were not just weapons but extensions of himself...

"those cuffs will have to stay on for the moment. As I'm sure you already discovered they are difficult to remove. That and they will make my subordinates more at ease unfortunately"

Reaper had to agree with that for even with his superhuman strength the cuffs were next to impossible to remove by force alone.

Taking slow steps he moved to catch up with the others...

(End of flashback)

"great.. this again." He grumbled as he stalked through the forest...

(Authors notes)

I took a look back and fixed all the stuff that had been fucked up in my first realease this one should be better.

And as a side note I added the claws because I played the force unleashed the other day and I thought the claws on the sith stalker armor looked badass.


	2. first meeting

(author's note)

i felt this chapter was kinda bad so i changed it. and as a side note the psionic powers reaper has are a bit diffrent than what you might be fimilar with. i'll give an explaination on how he got them in a later chapter so bear with me.

( reaper's pow)

As he shadowalked through the forest he couldn't help but feel a little at peace for this forest did remind him of home. He missed the forests of his homeland more than anything but he would never see it again.. But the memories couldn't last forever as he came across the base and observed the guards.

"overconfident fools" he growled lowly shaking his head. He drifted quietly over to the nearest trooper he quickly reformed drawing his blade he snatched the nearest trooper by the windpipe and with lightning speed he impaled the trooper in the stomach. It's body jerked and spewed yellow ichor as reaper was met with the other guards gunfire in his direction the mag rounds slamming into his armor creating a shower of sparks.

Wrenching his blade free of the now still corpse and with as much force as he could muster he hurled the corpse at one of the guards knocking it down with its former comrades weight. Quick as a flash reaper dashed forward and with one swift stroke he beheaded the officer turning his head away to avoid drenching his mask with it's blood.

As the last trooper started to rise from the ground he rushed in it's direction kicking it hard in the side sending it flying into a nearby tree. Putting his boot on it's skull the trooper let out a low sound almost like a whimper. With a sigh he took his boot off it's skull but the moment he did it's hand reached down for it's pistol. Before it could get to it's weapon he impaled it's hand with his claws and with his left hand covered it's mouth cutting off it's flow of air. It struggled frantically kicking it's legs wildly in a pointless attempt to free itself only wasting it's energy.

The trooper finally ceased it's struggling and he gently laid it down satisfied it was incapacitated. He scanned for any more hostiles his mask's motion tracker detected nothing else so slowly reaper his way inside. The place certainly brought up unpleasant memories and sent chills down his spine

It wasn't long before he came upon one of the processing areas he stood silently for a moment as he watched the pods that once contained people. He felt a pang of envy as they had the good foutune to die instead of being kept alive. Deep down however reaper was glad they didn't have to suffer like him. They wern't turned into monsters like him. Making his way into the second processing area he spied six guards in total across the room. Vanishing into the shadows once more reaper slowly crept over to the nearest pod flexing his fingers as they remained ignorant of his presence.

Moving fast enough to be a blur he grabbed one by the sides of it's head lifting it off its feet as it grappled with him in a fruitless struggle to free itself. Twisting it's head like a top he held it in front of him blocking some of the rounds that flew as the room exploded in a torrent of noise as the other guards opened fire. Yanking the pin free of one of the grenades on the now still body reaper tossed it at the second pod catching them in the resulting explosion.

Drawing his sword he thrusted forward the blade embedding itself in the throat of the trooper in front him.

Ripping it free of it's last victim reaper slammed the sword into the second trooper's foot pinning it to the floor with a yell. With a growl reaper sunk his claws into its neck and drew one of his pistols and with a pull of the trigger it's brains decorated the floor some of the brain matter mixing with the strange fluid in the center of the room.

Turning his attention to the wounded members of the second pod the first trooper opened fire the slugs slamming into his chest sending waves of pain through him like a wave and sent him staggering back with a grunt of pain.

Drawing his own weapon he returned fire hitting it in it's exposed mouth sending crashing to the floor as a lifeless husk its essence leaking all over the floor. The second trooper stood up in a vain attempt to combat him.

Curling his fingers he used the blunt side of his claws like brass knuckles knocking the second trooper to the ground rendering it unconscious. The officer stood up shakily it's legs wobbling as it tried to get a bead on him

Reaper almost lazily knocked the weapon out of it's grip and smashed it in the face with the butt of his pistol creating a loud thunk as it crashed almost bonelessly to the floor. He did a quick check to see if it was still kicking...

Getting up he holstered his pistol. He felt there was no reason to finish it off- in it's condition it wasn't getting up anytime soon. As mindless as they could be it just wasn't right to kill an opponent who couldn't fight back...

Stalking over to the back of the chamber reaper noticed his objective a small vial of vomit colored liquid.

"I'm not getting any readings on my end. It should, be safe to touch." shen's voice crackled over the radio

Reaper shook his head at that statement and closed his eyes as he reached for the vial...

Opening his eyes seconds later to his great relief it hadn't exploded or set off an alarm. Attaching the vial to his belt reaper brought up the holographic display on his left gauntlet he signaled for evac. Closing the display his motion tracker pinged and he heard a sound he knew only one alien made...

(viper's pow)

She had barely touched the trigger of her rifle when the human pulled a handgun and trained it on her head. She froze completely caught of guard by the speed the human had reacted for she had hardly made a sound.

He pointed at her rifle and his meaning was quite clear-put it down or be shot.

She hissed angrily at his demand but had no choice but to comply. As soon as her rife hit the floor the human raised his hand and in that instant her limbs felt rigid and no matter how hard she tried she could not move them. The human walked into the light and she could see his face or rather the mask he was wearing for while she was far from an expert on human biology she knew a human skull when she saw one. He was tall easily towering over her his coat flowing smoothly behind him as he walked a strange red energy blazing from his outstretched hand almost dancing in between the claws on his fingers.

He pointed once more this time in the direction of the mainframe

"That is none of your concern human!" she hissed with venom "

Letting off an angry growl he pointed the pistol mere centimeters from her forehead. A few seconds later he lowered it somewhat and gave her a stare that made her feel like he was looking into her very soul.

The fact that he asked at all instead of just killing her made her wonder- the bio chip in her head told her he was an enemy to be destroyed and that she should not help him that she should die instead. But in the corner of her eye she could still see the officer and the trooper that he didn't kill and that made her question the chip's conditioning they were wounded and easy prey...but he didn't finish them off. Maybe he would grant her the same mercy?

The snapping of his fingers brought her back to reality and from the way his head was tilted he was probably wondering what was taking so long.

With that she told what he wanted to know

He raised his outstretched hand the blood red energy glowing brightly on his palm. Seconds later an overwhelming sense of tiredness overcame her as she passed out...

(reaper's pov)

A viper was not a new sight as he had fought them before but this viper looked much different than the ones he had seen before.

Her scales were orange instead of the typical amber yellow. She also looked much younger than a standard viper which was certainly strange as they all looked the same to him.

He considered what to do with her. He could just leave her here... but there was the possibility he would have to kill her later... While Bradford was reluctant at first the commander managed to convince the value of a live captive and even managed to convince shen who had been against the idea from the start. Regardless if he took her with him she wouldn't have to be a slave anymore... The idea that a monster like him could save her was almost illogical in his mind but he had a rare opportunity to save a life rather than destroy one and that was something he couldn't ignore...

Gently cupping her jaw with his left hand he turned her head to the side examining the left side of her face. The She strange yet unquestionable alien beauty that made him stare a little longer than he should have. Looking away reaper knew an abomination like him had no right to gaze upon a creature like this for any period of time.

His choice made he slung her over his shoulder the darkness covering his escape as he made his way to the skyranger. Looking over at the sleeping form of the alien he felt that if tygan's experiment worked she would be one more person that would be afraid of him that would hate him.

But then again in his opinion...

Who wouldn't?

( author's note)

so how was that? good? bad? leave a review as i can always change stuff later

oh and a quick ability description

shadow walk- shrouds the user with dark psi energy that makes them nearly invisible to the naked eye but aggressive actions disrupt the effect

In case anyone's wondering reaper removed the trigger guard on the pistol he carries in his right hand so the claws don't get in the way. And due to practice he can still hold and use his sword with his right hand without the claws causing discomfort.


	3. new beginning

(Reaper's pov)

He woke in cold sweat still gasping from his nightmare the breathing apparatus in his mask made his breathing sound even harsher his synthetic heart almost whirling like a fan in his chest. Disconnecting from the suit cradle he stumbled over to his mirror fumbling for the release on the back of his mask. He stopped however when he saw his reflection. The mask that he had been forced to wear for months that became part of him to the point that he honesty didn't know what was underneath anymore and he was in no hurry to find out. He turned away from the mirror as he removed the mask the cold air felt almost surreal on his mutilated flesh and with no one around to view his twisted visage he felt comfortable. Once he grew used to it when he wore the mask he felt hidden and safe and while he was still an abomination with it on without it the worthless tainted shell of a failure could be seen by all.

He drove that out of his mind however and enjoyed the silence as well as the music sheet he had pinned on the wall. He knew the piece by heart at this point but he still liked to go over it it certainly made him wish they had a piano on board. The odds of that happening were second to none but still.

His moment of peace was interrupted though by the intercom asking him to report to the west wing. He put the mask back on the normal air being replaced by the pressurized air of the mask his vision replaced by the display of the lens.

Pulling his hood up and entering the code to his door he stepped out and began his way to the west side of the ship. He wondered why they needed him for. Reaching the door two rookies that had been hanging around caught sight of him and quickly looked away before scattering. A creature like him didn't deserve any positive treatment so their reaction was hardly surprising

Stalking through the door into the lab he had to surpress the urge to walk back out upon seeing the various lab and medical equipment the mere sight unerving him. Grimacing he forced himself to press foward the scars on his face and chest burned slightly as he made his way over to the doctor in question. Reaper cocked his head to the side asking tygan the silent question of why he was here in the first place

"the commander asked for you specifically to guard the subject." tygan responded accostomed to reaper's usual silence.

"The chamber is down that hallway" he pointed to an opening on the far right of the room.

Giving a small sigh he quickly strode across the room ignoring the nervous looks the staff gave him as he went by. When he reached the chamber bradford and the still out cold viper were already there. Spotting a patch of darkness in the corner of the room he slid into the shadows feeling much more content as the viper began to stir...

(Viper's pow)

At first all she could see was a blinding white light that clouded her vision adding to her confusion as she did not know where she was. As her vision cleared she could see two humans standing a few feet away from her. The first one looked like he was in his later years and he glared at her with a harsh expression on his sunken face. She could not see the other human at first as he stood in a darker corner of the room. Her confusion turned to relaxation as she reconized his mask the restraints of the makeshift chair she sat in seemed less uncomfortable. The first human noticing that she was awake spoke in a gruff voice "hello miss my name is central and i will be your interoggator for today." While he did not have a overly hostile tone he was still giving her the same hostile glare.

Does this human have an endless stream of questions? She wondered as the human tapped the datapad he was holding.

"Do you know the location of any more facalites critical to the avatar project?"

"I know of only one more..."she hissed quietly as she wished the questioning would stop so she could rest.

"Where?"

"I will type the cordinates in if you would please realease these restraints."

While she did not expect them to she hoped they would as she could feel that her blood had stoped flowing to her wrists as they had turned a yellow color. The first human had a hesitant look but he nodded to the second human. Walking into the light she could see details that she had missed in their first encounter like his physical build and just how terrifying he looked up close.

His mask made her feel like she was staring death in the face its sinister grin was haunting yet despite that it also radiated a strange sense of safety and strength.

"You have a name?" That surprised her- not so much the fact that he had spoken but rather the question itself. She had never had a name before none of her race possessed names so she gave him her service number.

" I am unit 14785" she responded in a small voice barely above a whisper but he heard anyway. He stared for a moment before speaking again

"Thats not a proper name, how about...talia instead?" she only took a few seconds to consider it as she shook her head yes her hood extending slightly as an odd yet welcome feeling envoloped her one she had never felt before...

"Not a bad choice"... a voice that did not belong to the two humans spoke.

Talia reconized the energy as that of a elder. "You have a elder on your ship?!"talia asked panicing.

"you may simply call me the commander."

Talia was almost in disbelief that an elder was xcom's leader for her former masters were the organizations sworn enemies.

"Now the question is what to do with you? Asaru asked.

"Thow her out the airlock" central said in a low voice "

"I have a better idea. I would much rather put you to use than allow you to rot in a prison cell. Why not join us?"

The question caught talia off guard for she had expected them to execute her when they were done. She thought hard about it. She would be betraying her masters...but they had made her and her sisters slaves and commited countless other terrible deeds. She had no desire to serve her old masters but would the humans be any better? Many of them would be just as quick to kill her at a moments notice...

"I will join you" she announced after a few quiet moments. Regardless of what the humans thought of her she would not go back to her former masters.

"good reaper will show you to your quarters. Just keep in mind that for the time being you are not allowed to walk around the ship without an escort."

As reaper motioned for her to follow some of her fear returned but it was nothing to how nervous she felt slithering behind him as the ships guards gave her peircing glares that made her stomach churn. Reaper stopped in front of a door and after punching in the code on the keypad gestured for her to go first. Slithering inside the room was medium sized and mostly barren other than a peice of paper on the wall with strange symbols a bed and a work bench.

"This is yours." reaper said pointing to the bed.

Before she could ask him where he would be sleeping he slip himself into a strange device on the wall that seemed to hold him in place.

Curling up on the bed she was in heaven never in her life had she slept on anything so comfortable before. Looking over at reaper she couldn't help but stare at him. Despite the fact he was much more menacing in appearance than the other humans he was by far the least hostile and had even stepped aside to let her enter first. Though trivial being shown respect of any kind was almost as surreal as the chips poisonous influence being removed allowing her to think fully for herself with nothing to tell her otherwise.

But she was to tired to take advantage of that at the moment so she laid her head down and drifted to sleep...

(Author's note)

I imagine after countless revisions to this story you want to know when chapter 4 comes. I'll try to release it this week or the next just bear with me.


End file.
